Venom #1: A Swing and a Miss

The Marvel Rundown: All New Venom and More

Welcome back, Marvel aficionados! This week’s Marvel Rundown dives into the much-anticipated launch of All New Venom. We’ll also see how the storyline unfolds post-Venom War. Stick around for our Rapid Rundown with reviews of Miles Morales: Spider-Man, X-Men, and the festive Holiday Tales to Astonish.

Marvel continues to rely heavily on event books. These declarations of "EVERYTHING YOU KNOW WILL CHANGE" aim to shake up the status quo. Since the initial event—Jim Shooter and Mike Zeck’s Secret Wars—many have failed to deliver lasting impacts. The consequences are often fleeting, leaving readers questioning their significance. Spider-Man’s black costume, which became Venom, remains one of the few enduring elements.

Venom Wars: A Recap

This year alone, we saw three events: Gang War, Blood Hunt, and now Venom War. Complaints emerge when these stories occur multiple times a year. The frequent nature of such events makes one wonder how groundbreaking they can be. Creative teams might get exhausted weaving these narratives into multiple books. Maybe, just maybe, this could lead to a brief respite for readers.

After Venom War, much has changed. Eddie Brock and his son, Dylan, have lost the Venom symbiote. It has vanished, creating a new mystery. Enter All New Venom, a nod to Marvel’s decade-old initiative. Who has become Venom now? For some, the allure of discovering the new host is dwindling. Venom’s character arc, once an antithesis to Spider-Man, has evolved into a complex cosmos. Almost every Marvel character seems to have bonded with the symbiote at some point.

Notably, this isn’t a fresh start for readers. It’s the midpoint of a lengthy Venom run by Al Ewing, which also calls back to Gang War. Missed Gang War? You might need a Wikipedia article to catch up. Artist Carlos Gomez and colorist Frank D’armata, however, give it a vibrant touch.

Should You Dive In?

We see over thirty issues of an Al Ewing Venom run existing; five devoted to a massive event that’s largely insular. This first issue is more of a continuation. It doesn’t offer much for newcomers or those who skipped Venom War. For them, there might be little incentive to start now.

RAPID RUNDOWN!

Marvel never fails to sprinkle some holiday magic across its pages. Holiday Tales to Astonish #1 bucks the trend of seasonal anthologies being just fluff. With three distinct stories, it delivers warmth and humor. Marvel even assembled a stellar team for this collection.

Gerry Duggan teams up with artist Phil Noto for a fantastic Fantastic Four tale. Daniel Kibblesmith’s heartwarming X-Men Hanukkah story fits snugly between classic Claremont. Gene Luen Yang crafts a striking New Year’s narrative with Dylan Burnett in the Spider-Men story.

The stories remain light-hearted yet character-driven. Stakes are low but not dismissive; they capture the essence of these heroes beautifully. Yang and Burnett’s Spider-Man story stands out. It showcases the mentor-mentee relationship between Peter and Miles—still a rarity in some Marvel titles. Meanwhile, Kibblesmith and Oliffe’s story pays tribute without drowning in nostalgia. Duggan and Noto’s Fantastic Four piece provides delightful goofiness without going overboard.

In closing, Holiday Tales to Astonish is a heartwarming collection worth your time and money. It’s a testament to Marvel’s commitment to quality, even in anthologies.

For those still here, next week we’ll explore the Ultimate Universe one year in! Dive into our previous Marvel Rundowns and keep the excitement alive.